


Third Wheel

by crypticbarmpot



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: & have the right to give or deny consent to any sex they may participate in including by proxy, & it probably carries many more moral dilemmas than the relatively simple few discussed here, & what that means for you both(& the people around you), Gen, ais are people, brief & blunt mention of sexual acts, discussion of sexual consent, the intricacies of having an ai in your head, there is no incest at all but i feel like a couple lines might squick people out anyway?, this is a super unconventional relationship, trust me on this tho it's not gross it's actually a very smart & mature convo i'm proud of them both, vaguely incestuous thoughts in a weird way but not really??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-06-24 11:03:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15629355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crypticbarmpot/pseuds/crypticbarmpot
Summary: Having another sapient being sharing your every experience and cataloging it for future reference might've freaked some people out, but not Jasper Ryder. He'd known the AI in his head for years before any of this had happened. It was sort of weird, but the good kind of weird. Still, there was something him and Sam needed to hash out.





	Third Wheel

**Author's Note:**

> so this was maybe gonna be part of a longer fic but idk if i'm ever actually gonna write that so i figured i'd get this out there. the overall idea was always in the back of my head but i've read so many fics in this fandom where sam's like?? present for sex w ryder & their partner & is clearly uncomfortable w it & ryder just laughs/scoffs & tells him to shush?? that i had to do this to make myself feel better lmao. this is my canon- jasper's got your back sam don't worry about nothing

“Sam, I think we should have a talk.”

Jasper sat on his bed on the Tempest, elbow resting on his knee and chin in his palm. His other hand dangled off his thigh, fingers twitching as he absently messed with his omni-tool. They were on their way to Havarl, to talk to the scientists that had last seen the Moshae. He’d learned that it was a jungle world, if one that was being overrun by it’s own mutating ecosystem. Jasper truly couldn’t wait to see it, no matter how much he dreaded the thought of muggy weather spanning an entire planet.

“What would you like to discuss?” Sam asked in his usual monotone. Sometimes, Jasper could almost hear a hint of something more in his voice. Like now. Might that be a bit of curiosity?

Jasper took a deep breath, let it out slowly. This wasn’t a thing you usually discussed with family, and certainly not in the kind of detail they’d inevitably manage to stumble into, but these were... unique circumstances, obviously, and it was important. He couldn’t go on with Sam and _not_ talk about this. “Eventually, I’m going to have sex.” He would not blush. Sam wouldn’t be embarrassed by a logical query and neither would he, damn it. “What does that mean for you? For you and me?”

Sam was quiet a long moment. Jasper knew he was thinking or processing or something and so just dropped his hand from his chin to fiddle with his omni-tool as well and waited.

“I have not experienced much of a sexual nature,” Sam told him slowly, giving each word careful consideration. “I am unsure what would be best. With Alec,” Jasper cringed, but he’d known this might come up and so braced himself for whatever followed, “your mother’s illness never allowed for a sexual relationship, and he was steadfastly monogamous.” _Oh, thank god-_ “However, rarely, he did masturbate.”

Jasper buried his face in his hands and whined under his breath. After a second, he cleared his throat and moved on quickly. “So... uh, do you... _want_ to experience that kind of thing?”

Another, even longer pause. Jasper wondered if his dad had ever considered this aspect of having an AI in his head. He wondered if _Sam_ had ever considered it. He knew both of them valued informed consent, though probably in vastly different ways. But he also knew that because of the unique relationship between AI and creator- especially when said AI was fully integrated into said creator’s _mind_ -, his dad might not’ve thought too deeply about whether Sam might prefer not to be _there_ for certain things. And so, because Sam learned so much from Alec, he also might not’ve ever thought to question it if Jasper hadn’t brought it up.

He was even more glad that he had, now.

“I... would like to experience all that you do,” Sam answered, still with that same thoughtful hesitance, “so that I may learn all that I can from your experiences.”

“Alright.” Jasper nodded to himself. It was... sort of weird, if he thought about it too long, but. This had never been a conventional sibling relationship. Sam cataloguing his sex life was like giving him a very, very detailed sex talk. With lots of examples.

Hands on examples.

Aaaand he was thinking about it too long.

“If you ever... _don’t_ want to,” Jasper continued, brow furrowing, “you can... look away, or whatever, right?”

“Yes,” Sam said, and thank fuck for that. “And vise versa, if you should ever wish for privacy from me, you need only ask.”

Honestly, he liked having Sam with him, even in the background as he usually stayed. And he loved Sam like a brother, so teaching him things- no matter how unconventional the method- was something he was happy to do. Still, it was nice to know. “Thanks, Sam.”

There was just one more thing he needed to figure out. “Okay. So, what about the people I’m with?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re partly me, or I’m partly you, or something,” Jasper said, gesturing expansively with one hand. “But we’re also separate entities, separate _people_. Should I ask if they mind you... observing?” He sighed and wrinkled his nose. “That could kill the mood.”

“You are worried they would see me as an uninvited party,” Sam inferred.

“I don’t think most people think of you like that,” Jasper admitted with a frown. “But just because they don’t, doesn’t mean that isn’t how it _is_.”

“Most do not view my sentience as authentic enough to notice my presence, or my- gaze.”

“Yes.” His frown deepened. Sam was as much a person as anyone else, and Jasper disliked basically everyone’s attitude towards him. But it was true nonetheless. If he didn’t bring it up with his partner, he doubted they would ever think of it, but that felt... wrong. Either taking advantage of their ignorance or resigning Sam to being _less._ Both were unacceptable, when it came to this.

The latter was _always_ unacceptable.

“Perhaps I can lock my memory of your sexual encounters away, similarly to Alec’s memories as they are now, until such a time that your partner expresses their consent for me to learn from them, or voices the desire for their deletion,” Sam suggested.

Jasper blinked. “That... sounds perfect, Sam.”

“Integrating the protocols now.”

“Good,” Jasper sighed, relieved that he’d gotten that whole conversation over with.

“I have a query, if I may.”

“Shoot.”

“Was this discussion prompted by anything, or anyone, in particular?”

Jasper narrowed his eyes at Sam’s small visage sat upon his desk.

“Specifically, a certain angara now residing in the tech lab?”

And even as Jasper stuck his tongue out at the AI, he was delighted. “Sam, are you _teasing_ me?”

“I would never,” Sam assured him solemnly, even as his tone dipped into _pleased_ , and this time Jasper was _sure_ he was hearing it right.


End file.
